A band that’s been around since 1997 but is featuring on an Introduction piece? Have I gone mad? Possibly, but bear with me.
I’m going to hazard a guess that you very probably haven’t heard of Guitaro, not unless you come from Canada and are really into your shoegaze that is. Which is a shame because what we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is one hell of a secret.
Guitaro was formed by Mark Wiebe, Jeremy Unrau and Heather Warkentin in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Their first EP was written, in part, to meet the requirements of Mark’s course (I never had homework like that!). After that they moved to Winnipeg to work on their live act and to write new material for their first full length album.
They released that album, “Futura Black” in June 2002 and the following year got a Best New Act of 2003 (music) nod in Vancouver’s Georgia Straight. Since then they have followed up with EPs and albums that have largely been ignored by the music people that tell us what we should be listening to, which is why a site like this is so great. We introduce the bands and then let you decide and today you can decide whether Guitaro should stay hidden any more.
Their new album “JJ’s Crystal Palace” was six years in the making and we have a little taster for you with “Chateau 100″. From the simple opening this is a beautiful synth laden track, complete with dreamy, Air like vocals. When the guitars hit at about the half way mark, it was so unexpected that it sent shivers down my spine and made me turn the volume up.
If this is your first listen to Guitaro, I hope you’re not disappointed. It’d be great to find out what you think.
Connect with Guitaro – Bandcamp | MySpace | Last.fm | Website | Facebook
